


Love Between The Shelves

by miso_grace



Category: Eurovision Song Contest RPF, Festival di Sanremo RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Dorks in Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-09
Updated: 2018-10-09
Packaged: 2019-07-28 20:06:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16248923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miso_grace/pseuds/miso_grace
Summary: “Is there anything I can help you with? Are you looking for something specific maybe?”The stranger looked up, startled.“I.., no, I’m ok, thank you. I mean, yes, I’m looking for something specific, if you can call inspiration specific, that is, but I think I’m on my own on that particular quest.” He laughed ruefully and ran a hand through his hair.





	Love Between The Shelves

**Author's Note:**

> For now, this is just a one shot, but maybe, if I have the time an inspiration I might expand on this. But for now just enjoy this little thing.  
> Bonus points if you can spot the tiny discord easter egg.  
> And thanks to Ceci (and everyone else) for the help with the title, I am awful and finding titles

The little second hand book shop with its cozy café was Fabrizio’s pride and joy. A place he had built up himself.  
Sure, the competition was tough, big chains, online shops, but he had enough loyal customers to be able to make a living for himself and his two children.  
He knew most of the people coming into his shop. Most of them were regulars but of they weren’t he’d still know them. Such were the joys of small town life, if you didn’t know someone personally than over a corner or two, everyone was a friend of a friend.

One day, while he was putting a new shipment on the shelves he thought he saw a face he didn’t recognise.  
The man was tall and gangly and had the most glorious head of curls Fabrizio had ever seen.  
He also looked a bit lost, so Fabrizio decided to approach him.

“Is there anything I can help you with? Are you looking for something specific maybe?”  
The stranger looked up, startled.

“I.., no, I’m ok, thank you. I mean, yes, I’m looking for something specific, if you can call inspiration specific, that is, but I think I’m on my own on that particular quest.” He laughed ruefully and ran a hand through his hair.

“Well,” Fabrizio said, “feel free to search for inspiration as much as you want. I’ll be here if you do need anything and if your quest should leave hungry and thirsty, the café’s over there.”

At the mention of the café Niccolo looked up from his phone and gave a little wave. Fabrizio could not blame him for being bored, Monday mornings were always slow and sitting behind the counter waiting for customers with nothing much to do was not the most riveting thing.  
Sometimes he’d help Fabrizio around the bookstore part of the shop, but besides the small shipment of books there wasn’t much to be done today

After that day the stranger, Ermal as Fabrizio soon learned, quickly became a regular at the book shop.  
Most of the time he’d wander along the shelves for a bit, pick out a book, sit down in the café, read a bit, watch the other patrons and write a bit.

Every once in a while when there was nothing else in the shop Fabrizio needed to attend to he sat down and talked with Ermal.  
The other man was fascinating and had a peculiar, practically poetic way of speaking. It was no wonder he became a writer, Fabrizio thought.

Fabrizio would be lying if he said that he wasn’t finding himself attracted to Ermal. And it wasn’t just physical, though that wasn’t to say that Ermal *wasn’t* attractive, quite the opposite in fact.  
But no, it wasn’t just his look, it has how he was always honest, almost brutally so, how he was unapologetically himself, it was his thoughtfulness, his genuine interest in Fabrizio’s stories about Libero and Anita.

One week Ermal hadn’t shown up in a few weeks and Fabrizio was beginning to worry.   
Sure, it was probably nothing and he just had a deadline or something to meet and just didn’t need the distraction of chatting with Niccolo about different roasts of coffee, of having Anita chew off his ear with her kindergarten adventures, or discussing the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything with Fabrizio ~~(though the answer simply was, as established by Douglas Adams, 42)~~  
But still, Fabrizio was worried.

As luck would have it, the old lady who always bought a cross word book for herself and picture books for her grandchildren happened to be neighbors with Ermal.  
“....the poor sod seems to have caught a bad case of the sniffles. And none of his family lives in town! So I went over to bring him some food, everyone needs someone to look after them when they’re ill, I believe”

He easily got the address out of her when he told her that he wanted to bring by some chicken soup for Ermal.  
And so he found himself on Ermal’s doorstep that evening, Tupperware of soup under his arm.

When Ermal opened the door, wearing his PJs, looking confused to see Fabrizio standing there.

“I’m sorry to just show up unannounced like this, it’s just, well, you’re neighbor, she was at the shop earlier today and she told me you were ill and she gave me your address and...I brought chicken soup!” he said, thrusting the Tupperware at Ermal.

“Well,” said Fabrizio and shoved his hands into his pockets, “I’ll just be off then.”

Before Ermal could even utter a Thank you Fabrizio had turned around on his heel and left.

A few days later a recovered Ermal was back at the book shop. After he had his coffee and payed for his book he rummaged in his bag.

“Here, your Tupperware.” he said. “Thank you for the other night, it was really thoughtful of you.” He smiled at Fabrizio 

“I’d offer to return the favour but I’m not too culinarily gifted. How about I invite you out for dinner instead?”

Fabrizio just gaped at him, mouth opening and closing a few times, not unlike a fish’s.

“I’m, it’s..it’s totally okay if you don’t, go out to diner with me that is. I just, I, well, I don’t know what I was thinking.” Ermal quickly added, wringing his hands.

“Oh, no. No no no no no, I would love to go for dinner! With you.” Fabrizio said just as quickly, finally coming back to his senses. “Iiiiif the offer still stands?”

“Of course! Yes, great, uhm, does Friday night work for you?” Ermal was positively beaming.

“Friday night works just fine, yes.” Fabrizio answered with a matching grin.

“Great! Then I’ll reserve a table for two at, say around 8, for two people at Gigi’s, if that suits you?”  
“Sounds perfect, Gigi’s is the only decent place for dinner in town after all.” Fabrizio laughed.

“Now that’s just mean!” Ermal said but he was chuckling too.

“Hey, I’m just being honest here.”

Ermal shook his head at him fondly. He grabbed his purchases and shoved them into his bag. On his way out of the book shop he waved over his shoulder.  
“See you Friday at the latest!”

If, for the rest of the day, Fabrizio walked about the store with a renewed spring in his step, whistling to himself, well nobody needed to know. Or, in the case of Niccolo, needed to know that a particular curly haired newcomer in town was the reason behind said behaviour.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it!  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated.


End file.
